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Book one in the series
IN THE SHADOW OF DIABLO - Mystery of the Great Stone House alternates between a local teacher's present day adventure and the historical accounts of the brutal murder of Dr. John Marsh, one of the most important figures in California history.
Harrison Barrett is a Brentwood science teacher who is compelled to
investigate the sudden and tragic suicide of one of his high school students. Along with colleague Celeste Scott, Harrison finds himself engulfed in the legend of a hidden treasure and entwined with the real-life tale of a distraught son - Charles Marsh, whose father was slain 150 years prior.
Past and present are linked as Charles seeks justice and Harrison searches for answers. The journeys of both men are filled with mystery and intrigue, separated by generations, but united by a common yearning, a common motive, and a common setting . . . in the shadow of Diablo.
IN THE SHADOW OF DIABLO - Mystery of the Great Stone House alternates between a local teacher's present day adventure and the historical accounts of the brutal murder of Dr. John Marsh, one of the most important figures in California history.
Harrison Barrett is a Brentwood science teacher who is compelled to
investigate the sudden and tragic suicide of one of his high school students. Along with colleague Celeste Scott, Harrison finds himself engulfed in the legend of a hidden treasure and entwined with the real-life tale of a distraught son - Charles Marsh, whose father was slain 150 years prior.
Past and present are linked as Charles seeks justice and Harrison searches for answers. The journeys of both men are filled with mystery and intrigue, separated by generations, but united by a common yearning, a common motive, and a common setting . . . in the shadow of Diablo.
Book two in the series
When foreign language teacher Celeste Scott is asked by police to help translate a strange note found on a mummified corpse, she and science teacher Harrison Barrett are drawn into the intriguing history of the Byron Hot Springs Resort. Their present-day mystery alternates with the desperate journey of Baron Leopold von Haas, who flees post-World War I Austria and winds up at the famous resort, a half-a-world away.
Harrison and Celeste uncover a web of clues spanning the gruesome death of Charles the Bold in 1477 France to a covert World War II interrogation center in California. Meanwhile, in order to return to his family, Baron von Haas must reveal his secret to one of the resort’s many fabled guests including Fatty Arbuckle, Lefty O’Doul, and the renowned sugar baron, Adolph Spreckels.
What untold story links it all? The answer can only be found where past meets present, fact meets fiction, and mystery meets romance ― in the shadow of Diablo.
When foreign language teacher Celeste Scott is asked by police to help translate a strange note found on a mummified corpse, she and science teacher Harrison Barrett are drawn into the intriguing history of the Byron Hot Springs Resort. Their present-day mystery alternates with the desperate journey of Baron Leopold von Haas, who flees post-World War I Austria and winds up at the famous resort, a half-a-world away.
Harrison and Celeste uncover a web of clues spanning the gruesome death of Charles the Bold in 1477 France to a covert World War II interrogation center in California. Meanwhile, in order to return to his family, Baron von Haas must reveal his secret to one of the resort’s many fabled guests including Fatty Arbuckle, Lefty O’Doul, and the renowned sugar baron, Adolph Spreckels.
What untold story links it all? The answer can only be found where past meets present, fact meets fiction, and mystery meets romance ― in the shadow of Diablo.
Book three in the series
Wedding plans for high school teachers Harrison Barrett and Celeste Scott are put on hold after finding a murder victim’s cryptic message scrawled on a pioneer cemetery headstone. As the couple investigates the mysterious warning, Celeste becomes inescapably linked to a centuries-old legend rooted in Pythagorean philosophy and a sinister quest for power.
Harrison and Celeste’s search for answers draws them into the historical accounting of Nortonville, a 19th century coal mining town set among the Mt. Diablo foothills. The untimely deaths of some townsfolk have a few prominent residents fearing the misfortunes are more than tragic accidents. What ancient secret lies hidden among the Welsh immigrants and their toil for lucrative black diamonds?
Follow Harrison and Celeste on their epic and often precarious journey traversing secret societies, mystic symbols, and medieval legends. Will they discover Celeste’s connection to the profound mystery before it’s too late? The answer can only be found where past meets present, fact meets fiction, and mystery meets romance ― in the Shadow of Diablo.
Wedding plans for high school teachers Harrison Barrett and Celeste Scott are put on hold after finding a murder victim’s cryptic message scrawled on a pioneer cemetery headstone. As the couple investigates the mysterious warning, Celeste becomes inescapably linked to a centuries-old legend rooted in Pythagorean philosophy and a sinister quest for power.
Harrison and Celeste’s search for answers draws them into the historical accounting of Nortonville, a 19th century coal mining town set among the Mt. Diablo foothills. The untimely deaths of some townsfolk have a few prominent residents fearing the misfortunes are more than tragic accidents. What ancient secret lies hidden among the Welsh immigrants and their toil for lucrative black diamonds?
Follow Harrison and Celeste on their epic and often precarious journey traversing secret societies, mystic symbols, and medieval legends. Will they discover Celeste’s connection to the profound mystery before it’s too late? The answer can only be found where past meets present, fact meets fiction, and mystery meets romance ― in the Shadow of Diablo.
Book four in the series
The Great Quake of 1906 left San Francisco in ruins. The destruction not only paralyzed the city, it also devastated California’s burgeoning wine industry as more than two dozen of downtown San Francisco’s wine warehouses burned to the ground. Vowing to rebuild, the California Wine Association settled on Contra Costa County’s western shore as the new home for Winehaven ― the largest winery in the world.
Presently, newlyweds Harrison and Celeste also find themselves drawn into exploring the county’s historic wine industry through a mysterious bottle, a cryptic note, and an ancient Chinese bone box. As the two teachers investigate one family’s mystery and its possible connection to a hidden fortune, it soon becomes clear that there are dark secrets hidden beneath the tangled vines of the past.
From unsung Chinese immigrants to renown vineyard owners John Muir and John Swett, join Harrison and Celeste’s perilous quest in the one place where past meets present, fact meets fiction, and mystery meets romance . . . in the Shadow of Diablo.
The Great Quake of 1906 left San Francisco in ruins. The destruction not only paralyzed the city, it also devastated California’s burgeoning wine industry as more than two dozen of downtown San Francisco’s wine warehouses burned to the ground. Vowing to rebuild, the California Wine Association settled on Contra Costa County’s western shore as the new home for Winehaven ― the largest winery in the world.
Presently, newlyweds Harrison and Celeste also find themselves drawn into exploring the county’s historic wine industry through a mysterious bottle, a cryptic note, and an ancient Chinese bone box. As the two teachers investigate one family’s mystery and its possible connection to a hidden fortune, it soon becomes clear that there are dark secrets hidden beneath the tangled vines of the past.
From unsung Chinese immigrants to renown vineyard owners John Muir and John Swett, join Harrison and Celeste’s perilous quest in the one place where past meets present, fact meets fiction, and mystery meets romance . . . in the Shadow of Diablo.